Using energy vulnerability framework to understand household agency in sustainability transitions: Experiences from Canada and Finland

Jani P. Lukkarinen, Runa R. Das, Senja Laakso, Mari Martiskainen

Sustainability transitions research needs to consider the issues of justice and equitability. Home energy use can often be affected by ineffective policies and pre-existing inequalities that expose people to volatile energy prices, energy poverty and climate impacts. These problems have often been dealt with reactively, without resolving their underlying systemic and structural causes.

This paper focuses on households’ energy vulnerabilities in Canada and Finland, studying their exposure to certain risks and what capacity households have in navigating those risks. Based on case studies of social housing in Canada and housing cooperatives in Finland, the paper shows that exposure and sensitivity to risks can lead to increased energy vulnerability, which in turn can be further triggered by changes in policies, energy markets and the environment. In Canada, neglected housing maintenance causes exposure, while in Finland, action in housing cooperatives are not always inclusive for those people who are already at risk of energy poverty.

The paper suggests that more detailed studies are needed in the two countries on household energy vulnerability, unpacking issues such as collective action and scale, especially at the neighbourhood level.